Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary: Teacher Guide

by Gloria Levine

NOTE: This is not the book by Beverly Cleary, but a guide to teachers to accompany it.

This time-saving, easy-to-use teacher guide includes inspiring lesson plans which provide a comprehensive novel unit--the legwork is done for you! The guide incorporates essential reading, writing and thinking practice.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Juvenile, Kids, Chapter Books

28 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[cassie · Rating 2 out of 5]

C'mon -- a mouse on a motorcycle? How long must I suspend my disbelief in this illogical series? Were these books written for children?

[Michele Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ralph is tired of his relatives trying to make him share his beloved motorcycle. And he's afraid zooming through the mud puddles in the lobby of the inn where he lives has gotten his friend Matt in trouble. So with the help of his human friend Ralph runs away, to Irwin J. Sneed Elementary School, where there are long halls without carpet to ride on and plenty of good things to eat.
Except that the students of Room 5 turns Ralph into a class project and an article in the town paper accuses the school of being infested with mice! And worst of all now Ralph's motorcycle is broken and he has no way to get back home.
Ralph S. Mouse is a classic kid's chapter book. While amusing at times I found Ralph to be pouty and selfish, not exactly a hero. Cleary does mention the reality of mice (being vermin and all), but doesn't quite manage to set Ralph apart, other than his intelligence and his abilities to ride a motorcycle and speak (but only to certain, lonely children).
My son enjoyed being read chapters of Ralph at night, but didn't connect with Ralph's pouting or anger. He was most interested in the beginning and the end, with a lull of interest in the surly middle parts.
Ralph would probably most interest children who are also feeling surly, angry, and like the world is against them. Its strength is in showing kids that they're not alone in those feelings and teaching them to look for ways to solve their problems, because they might not be as bad as it seems.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

the second book read w/ Sam. I read Beverly Cleary books as a kid. It is a fun story that Sam was hypnotized while I read to him. I often thought he was not paying attention, I would ask him a question and he'd respond - yeah don't you remember Kiss K wanted to do this - so I know he wasw. I also think he enjoyed my using different voices for some of the characters. Ralph, the mouse, spends time in a hotel, and then to Irvin S. Sneed Elementary School. He figures out a faster way to solve the maze and gets the school inspected for mouse infestation. All he wanted was to get back his beloved motorcycle. All is resolved by the end of the book - all in all, a fun read for a third grader.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun one, though not as good as the original Mouse and the Motorcycle. My kids were obsessed with the fact that Ralph wasn't still with Keith and kept inventing scenarios in which Ralph would find Keith. We'll have to wait a while to move on to Runaway Ralph. (We are actually reading these out of order, which drives me crazy, but that is the way the audio was put together.)

**Audio Review: Same blah narration as the last, although the kids didn't seem bothered a bit.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another hit with my kids. I even heard my son saying, "You know what? Fighting never solves anything." A direct quote from Miss K from the book. I love it when kids remember GOOD things they hear me say.

[Karissa Reyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am doing a book review on ralph.s.mouse and it is by beverly clery.Here is my book review.As the boy was sitting in the lobby and he took the luggage up to the guests rooms. And there was a mouse that lived under gramples clock that later on in the story he helped fixed because it wouldn't tic.the mouse had a little motorcycle and his thires were getting really thin so he didn't let them ride and one day they told on him and then the wind was really hard and blew him in and the boy in the lobby found him and they became friends and the mouse became the class pet.
I like when he road his bike because it was cool and love bikes because there load and in the picture he looked cool.i dont like that the mouse's tires get burnt off because he looked cool.
In this book it was in the beginning of the bookit was sad but happy and i liked it. I liked the part when the boy and the mouse became friends. I liked this book you should read it.
If you like books that are happy then sad thene happy then sad you should read this book.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute story for a read aloud but again I didn’t love some of the attitudes and language used.

[DB · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[Yasha]

J FICTION Cleary Beverly

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was pretty darn cute. In this story, Ryan (who lives with his single mother at the inn) takes Ralph to school. The class ends up making Ralph into a class project. (Although I found it rather unbelievable that his teacher would drop everything to discuss what is basically as wild mouse.)
A news reporter comes to the school to cover the event, but predictably turns the story into "Mouse Infestation of School." The superintendent investigates that there are no mice at the school. (I found it hard to believe the teacher wouldn't get into major trouble over this.) The students write the newspaper and gets it to retract the story.
Ryan becomes friends with a boy named Brad, who is the son of a single dad. I did not like the first half of the epilogue at all. It says that Ryan's mom and Brad's dad get married and they all basically live happily ever after. I thought this could be damaging to children of single parents. They shouldn't be led to believe their parents will marry their best friend's parent, or that they will remarry at all.

But basically there was a lot of suspense in this story and it was good.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

If only life could be like this. I enjoyed this book immensely as a child and wondered how it would hold up under an adult's scrutiny. I still enjoyed it. Although I can't make my car go by saying "vroom" the world in which Ralph S. Mouse is realistic and relatable to young children. It deals with various issues such as: sibling arguements over property, getting blamed for things or feeling that this are your fault, wanting to run away, single-parent households, economic strife. I know, a lot of things I picked up on last night. In this sequel, Ralph S. Mouse feeling blamed and wanting his freedom, goes to school. Here he finds out, life is not what he expected. The interactions as school show him how he should act with his cousins and arguement needn't end in physical altercations or yelling. As an adult, go figure type of sarcasm, the epilogue all 2 pages of it....really so happy ending.

[Shelly♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book in the Ralph series brings a satisfying conclusion to the dilemma of Ralph and his motorcycle. Due to envy and jealous of his mouse cousins, Ralph asks Ryan (who lives at the hotel with his mother who is a maid) to take him to school to avoid conflict. This creates all kinds of new challenges for Ralph and for the class who "adopts" him.

The first book in this series is by far the best, but the two additional books give children more time with lovable Ralph and his dare devil stunts.

Really enjoyed reading this to my boys who could hardly stand to wait every evening for the next chapter. Loved Cleary's style. The books are clearly dated with one boy bringing his cap gun to school to start a race. But overall a great series for kids - both boys and girls will love Ralph!

[Gene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ralph S. Mouse is excellent. I first read this book when it was newly published. I had enjoyed the previous two mouse and the motorcycle books and was excited to be the first to check it out from the school library. I had great enjoyment reading this story to my children and kept captivated five boys who range in age from 3 to 13, all are Ralph fans and fans of Beverly Cleary, I am pleased to say.

[Alida · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed The Mouse and the Motorcyle when I was younger and thought I might like this one. I think this is a cute and funny book that most kids might like. Ralph gets fed up and wants to go to school. He eventually gets discovered by the kids. Kids will like the adventure side of Ralph and the humor in the book. I would use this book when talking about friends and relationships.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the one that I remember liking best of the series. I remember being utterly delighted as a child that Ralph not only had a middle initial that stood for Smart, but that he also had a last name that was Mouse. How satisfyingly sensible. Afterward, all my stuffed animals acquired middle initials, I believe.

[Mr. Coomey teacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a awesome book!! I had a great time reading it.you should read it. it's about a mouse who lost a motorcycle. He was stuck in school.But his was in a fight withI liked that ralph has a new vehicle. Which is a car it was a XL7.He used a motorcycle noise.This was funny because he had to use the car noise but he had to say the car noise backward which is hard to say moorv.

[Ajcmeyer Meyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

My two girls ages 4 and 8 really enjoyed this book. I read it aloud to them a chapter at a time before they went to bed at night. I found it very dull and not one I would recommend. Hey maybe this is what put them to sleep each night ;)

[KatieLynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ralph S. Mouse is about a mouse and his family who live in a hotel. When Ralph is tired of living in the crowded hotel, he decides to move out of there. And so begins an adventure of a lifetime as Ralph learns to be alone. But something else happens....

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cleary is a great children's writer.

Favorite quote: Furious with Ryan for not managing to save him from this indignity, he crawled into a thumb where he thought mean thoughts about everyone in Room 5.

[Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have never read any Beverly Cleary books, maybe I should have started with Ramona. This book was just okay, not memorable, not really even well written, and then the ending had a few happy ending things thrown in that really bugged me. Any other suggestions by Beverly Cleary?

[DeNae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun adventure with Ralph. It wasn't as endearing as The Mouse and the Motorcycle, but still a good story to share with a young child. Audrey really liked it and is excited to read Runaway Ralph next.

[Lwillis101 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good but a little boring to me. The ending was kind of cool with Ryan and Brad becoming brothers. But as far as fantasies go with animals talking, this book wasn't as adventurous as I was anticipating.

[Wes Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read this when i was a kid and i liked it, i basically just put it on here so i'd have more books than penny.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Mouse and a Motorcycle and then...an adventure. I didn't know that talking mice could make me so weepy...

[Weinz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phew! No talks of getting any pets.

[ZZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

We just finished reading this in school. It was good and at the end of the book Ralph got a sport car because somebody broke his motorcycle.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

lol. I read this book a long time ago.

[♥KRiSTiN3♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember watching the movie in 2nd grade.
or was it 3rd.

[Eireanne]

On the suggested summer reading list for students.

[Tracy Schillemore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ideas!